


Notorious

by StrawberryLane



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, Beth is eighteen years old, Established Relationship, F/M, Gossip, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Marriage, Married Couple, No Underage Sex, POV Outsider, Prejudice, Rumors, Small Towns, Statutory Rape, Stereotypes, briefly underage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:24:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10103750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLane/pseuds/StrawberryLane
Summary: Julia hasn't properly seen her former best friend since Beth announced her intentions to marry Daryl Dixon straight out of high school, roughly eight months ago.You don't marry a man like Daryl Dixon, you just don't. Not if you want to live a happy life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So... Hi. This is my first work in this fandom, and to be entirely honest, I haven't even seen that much of the show, so sorry if it's out of character. I just really like the idea of Bethyl and outsider pov, prejudice and stereotypes. The pairing just screams "what is that dirty, violent redneck doing with that sweet girl" and I want to know how people would react to that relationship if the world wasn't ending around them. Or even if it was. What can I say, I'm a sucker for outsider pov. And then I listened to Emily Kinney's song "Back on love", especially the line "my best friend made a list of ways his love is off track, but I don't give a shit and I refuse to call that bitch back," and this little fic was born.

Julia tries not to let the nervous flutter of butterflies in her belly get the upper hand when she takes the last, significant turn down the gravel road that will take her to the Dixon homestead. They live by themselves, no neighbors for miles, just outside of town and Julia's been fighting with herself for many weeks before she suddenly, without letting herself chicken out, decided that this was the right thing to do. She hasn't seen Beth in months. Well, that's a lie. She has seen her, of course, outside of the grocery store, at the library, at the diner, things like that. But Julia hasn't properly seen her former best friend since Beth announced her intentions to marry Daryl Dixon straight out of high school, roughly eight months ago.

They fought about it, Julia desperately trying to make Beth, her sweet, funny, believer-in-all-things-good Beth, to see reason. You don't marry a man like Daryl Dixon, you just don't.

Not if you want to live a happy life.

Julia has lived in their town her whole life and has known who the Dixon brothers are about the same amount of time she's been alive. Her mother warned her to stay away from men like that since way before she was old enough to know what words like "rape" and "domestic violence" and "drunk bastards," really meant. And Julia had stayed away, far far away. And she would have continued to do so, content with living her own life, if it hadn't been for Beth frickin Greene, who'd come to school one day and announced that she'd met a boy, no, _a man._ At first, Julia had been elated, because Beth had been heartbroken over her breakup with Jimmy a couple of months earlier and Julia was happy there was someone else who could take the sadness away from her best friend. She hadn't expected that someone to be Daryl Dixon of all people. Beth Greene just ain’t the type of girl to get herself involved with a man like that. The only way that should be possible, is if she's the victim staring back at the reader from the photo in the newspaper and he's the perpetrator.

Daryl Dixon is, to put it simply, notorious in their neck of the woods, always has been. The man has a rap sheet miles long, even if he's never officially been to prison, like his older brother. But he's rough around the edges, all dirt and oil streaks, a mixed odor of cigarette smoke, sweat and oil permanently surrounding him.

He ain’t what anybody would call a good catch. Fighting in bars seemed to be his favorite way to let off steam when Julia was growing up. Not that she ever saw it, she just heard the ladies at her mother's hair salon gossip about it while they waited for her mother to finish styling their hair. "That Dixon boy came by again," Agatha Forwell would tell Lara Andersen in a hushed whisper that wasn't really hushed at all. "Bought more first aid stuff. I guess I should just be happy he actually bought it, instead of just stealing, like that brother of his."

Over the years, Daryl Dixon has quieted down quite a lot, especially now that Merle Dixon's been in prison for a long while. He keeps to himself, works as a mechanic at the local garage, something that would have made the business drop spectacularly, if there had been any other place close by. As it is, there ain’t, so the residents of their town are forced to bring their cars in to be worked on by a Dixon, even if they'd rather chew off their own arms than drive something that that dirty redneck has touched.

So you can imagine the surprise and horror among the town's residents, Julia included, when sweet, polite and naive Beth Greene was seen at the diner sharing a meal of milkshakes, hamburgers and greasy fries with the man.

The age difference alone would have been enough to cause a scandal, really. Especially when one of them wasn't even eighteen at the time and the other was decidedly on the wrong side of 30. Add to that that the two couldn't be more different and the rumor mill was working over time.

Still is, even over a year later.

There was even a petition, signed by just about every member of the Knitting Club - meeting at the coffee shop for gossip and knitting every Thursday evening - to arrest Daryl Dixon for statutory rape, rape, assault, drugs, just about any crime, really. As it was, Sheriff Grimes had been unable to do so, because when Daryl was taken in to the station, Beth's eighteenth birthday had come and gone and the girl herself swore up and down that Daryl Dixon hadn't ever put his hands on her in any way. They hadn't been able to pin anything on him, so they had been forced to let the man go. After that, there had been a week or so of Beth coming to school with eyes red from crying and Daryl nowhere to be found. Until one afternoon when Julia'd exited the school after the bell had rung, trying to get Beth excited for a party later that evening, only to stop abruptly in her tracks as she was met with the sight of Daryl Dixon waiting in the parking lot, straddling his monster of a bike, dressed in leather and a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"I ain't no good at this," he'd quietly, uncomfortably told Beth once they'd reached him, and that had been that.

Beth had married him not even four months later and Julia had thrown the carefully written wedding invitation in the trash, hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she vowed to focus on herself, to not give any more of her energy to Beth's relationship and the way it would surely end with her friend getting hurt. So what if Beth thought she was happy and in love now? Or believed that Daryl Dixon really loved her? Some people you just can't help, and that's just the way it is.

Now, eight months without any real contact has passed by, and today is Beth's birthday. Julia thinks she might be about to make the biggest mistake of her life, because she's gotten so good at distancing herself from the other girl, at working at her mother's hair salon and trying to ignore the gossip the customers tell her, about how Beth has lost that sunny glow of hers, how she's gotten a job as an assistant to the music teacher at the primary school, how Daryl drives her to work, how Beth's got bruises on her arms. The decision to drive out into the woods and actually visit Beth for her birthday had been a hastily made one, just like her gift is a hastily bought copy of _Jellicoe Road_ , a book Julia knows Beth's been looking forward to reading. At least she had been, eight months ago.

The gravel road Julia's been traveling on comes to a sudden stop, instead effortlessly blending into a clearing in the woods. Parking her car and climbing out off it, Julia takes in her surroundings. The first thing that hits her is the stillness. The only sounds are the sounds of birds and the calm swooshing of the high trees around her. Beth's old Ford Ranger is parked next to Julia's own car and another, old, dirty pickup truck that must belong to Daryl is parked a bit further away. The motorcycle is parked closer to the house, gleaming in the sunlight. Julia had hoped that Daryl wouldn't be home, even if it is a Saturday.

The house is small and rustic, with a stone chimney and a wrap around porch. Making her way across the lawn Julia climbs the steps to the porch and knocks on the door. Now that she's closer, she can hear a radio playing through the closed door. She's just about to raise her fist to knock again when the door is wrenched open and Beth is standing on the other side.

"Oh," Julia's best friend says at the sight of her, because of course Beth wasn't expecting Julia after all this time. "Hi," Beth smiles, quickly, trying to hide her surprise.

"Hi. Happy birthday?," it comes out like a question, Julia suddenly terribly unsure if this was the right thing to do. She holds out Beth's gift toward the other girl, not able to hold in the sigh of relief when Beth accepts it, her cheap wedding band glinting in the sunlight. Julia can't help but stare at it.

"Do you... Do you want to come in?" Beth asks, seemingly just as uncertain as Julia is. Julia nods, and Beth steps aside to let her enter the small hall. She toes off her shoes and quietly follows Beth through the house, into the kitchen.

"I just made brownies. You want some?" Beth asks, setting aside Julia's gift and busying herself with making tea. Julia sits down at the table and looks around the room. She's not sure what she was expecting, but the whole house seem much more light and much more clean than she'd thought it would be. The cupboards are painted in a bright yellow, with kitchen towels in the same color. There's a vase of flowers in front of her, on the table. It's the kind that can be bought at the grocery store, ready made bouquets. There's a fruit bowl on the counter, full of oranges and bananas. Small traces of Beth throughout the room, specks of color here and there.

"Yes, please," Julia replies when she notices Beth looking expectantly at her from across the room. Beth nods to herself at that, satisfied. She brings the plate of gooey, chocolatey brownies over to the table, along with a jug of milk and the teapot.

They don't talk much at first, mostly "How have you been?" and "Did you hear about that thing?" and "How are you?", but for the most part they focus on their brownies. Beth's husband and his whereabouts is a subject they avoid, perhaps intentionally on Beth's part. Instead, they talk about what Julia's been up to since they graduated, Beth's new job, Julia's family.

It goes slow to begin with and Julia still feels unsure about what frame of mind Beth is in. While they make small talk, slowly but surely regaining their footing, so to speak, Julia drinks in the sight of the blonde girl before her. Wearing sweatpants and a familiar, flowery shirt, Beth looks healthy, she looks good. She doesn't look abused, Julia thinks, even if she knows that means fuck all in reality. There are no bruises showing on her arms or her face and she doesn't flinch or show concern or turn quiet when, about an hour and a half after Julia's arrival, the front door bangs shut and Daryl Dixon himself appears in the doorway of the kitchen. He stops in his tracks when he sees Julia, even though he must have been expecting someone. Her car isn't exactly a small model, it takes up lots of space. He's got a crossbow in his hands, and a dead rabbit dangling from his belt.

"Daryl, hi!" Beth smiles at her husband, who quickly grins back, a small quirk of his lips. If she wasn't there, Julia is pretty sure their greeting would be much more loving. Beth hasn't ever been one for public displays of affection, not like Julia. And Daryl being a fan of it is a laughable thought.

"I was just gon' grab a knife," Daryl mutters, gesturing towards the dead rabbit, just as Julia says "Aren't you going to introduce us? Formally, I mean," to Beth.

"I know who you are," Daryl informs her, having crossed the room to grab a large knife from the counter. "You're Julia. You're the one Beth cried her eyes out at because you didn't show for our weddin',"

This isn't how Julia expected her meeting with Daryl Dixon to go. Him calling her out for not attending his wedding hadn't even crossed her mind as a possible scenario. She'd been on the verge of being as hostile toward the man as she dared, to if he would fly off the handle and do something, to see what he would do if he got mad, but his words makes her falter.

"I...I," she stammers as Beth cuts in, frowning; "Daryl!"

"Aright, forget it. I'll leave you two alone," Daryl says and returns the way he came, disappearing from view.

Julia stares at the wooden table, at her red mug of tea with white dots on it, feeling her eyes starting to blur. She promised herself she wouldn't cry, no matter what.

"Julia..." Beth says and then the chair next to her scrapes against the floor and Beth is in her space, hugging her close.

"I didn't..." Julia begins, trying to keep the fact that she's crying out of her voice, "I didn't-"

"You don't have to explain, I get it. Hell, I probably would've done the same if I were you. It's all in the past though, all right?" Beth's voice is soothing and kind, and Julia knows, really knows, that Beth doesn't blame her for her actions at all.

They sit in silence for a long time, Julia listening as the front door is quietly brought to a close and a few moments later there's the tell tale groan of pipes in the old house, and if Julia strains her ears she can actually hear the water in the shower meeting the bathroom floor.

"He's a good 'un," Beth says, absentmindedly reaching for her mug of tea, refilling it. "Under all that roughness, he really is. I know you don't believe me. I didn't either, not when I first met him. But he really is. He wouldn't ever hurt me."

"I'm sorry," Julia says, again, because she feels it's something she needs to say, something she should say. Beth shrugs. "Will you stay for dinner?" she asks instead and Julia smiles.

"I'm good, thanks." Her staying for dinner isn't something Julia thinks Beth, Daryl or herself are prepared to handle at this moment, so she declines.

By the time the shower shuts off, Julia is out the door, climbing into her car, turning the car around to drive down the gravel road, back to the town and her own home. Looking back at the Dixon house through her rear-view mirror, Julia feels herself beginning to smile. Her friendship with Beth is nowhere near back to being what it used to be, but the cracks are starting to mend and that's all Julia really wants.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it!


End file.
